Shoplifter arrested for 45th time

January 24, 2011

Albuquerque, N.M., police have arrested a man accused of shoplifting tools from a Lowe’s store on Jan. 20 and then trying to sell them to undercover officers 15 minutes later, according to an article in the Albuquerque Journal.

Oliver Martinez, 39, is a chronic shoplifter who has been arrested 45 times, according to police. He allegedly approached two undercover police detectives on the street and asked if they would like to buy some tools. The officers, who suspected the goods were stolen property, later confirmed that the tools had been shoplifted from a nearby Lowe’s store just 15 minutes prior, authorities said.

A police sergeant told a reporter for KOAT-TV that Martinez had 45 previous shoplifting arrests: 25 in Albuquerque and 20 outside the city’s jurisdiction.